Grabbing a Bite at Panzerotti Bites

Last week, I did not particularly like what the scale read so I rejoined Weight Watchers — this time, online. This, however, did not prevent me from finding a new delicious thing to eat and instantly fall in love with over the weekend. I had read about a new eatery on Smith Street in the Red Hook Star-Revue called Panzerotti Bites, so when my husband suggested we try it out on Saturday afternoon, I checked to make sure that I had enough WW points saved and said, “Why not!”

My family usually makes calzone on New Year’s Eve. My sisters would fry small ones stuffed with mozzarella, ricotta, and ham, but I continue to take the easy way out by baking large calzoni, one stuffed with mozzarella, ricotta, and ham, and the other with escarole, garlic, olives, capers, pignoli, and anchovy. The rest of the year, we buy calzone, either deep-fried from the House of Pizza and Calzone or baked from Lucali, which has a delicious baked calzone, as do Table 87 and John’s Pizzeria.

We never referred to calzone as panzerotti. In fact, when I was growing up, “panzarotti” (with an “a” not an “e”) were fried croquettes made with potato, cheese, and parsley, like the ones my Aunt Tessie and sister Lisa would make. So I was a little surprised to learn that in the Apulia (or Puglia) region of Italy, panzerotti are actually the same fried pockets of dough which we have always referred to as calzoni. My Barese-American friends make them for the holidays, filled with chopped meat, scallions, and Gaeta olives, but I never heard them called anything other than calzone.

All I can say about the panzerotti that I sampled at Panzerotti Bites is “WOW, WOW, WOW!!!” I know I’m prone to exclamation points when I write, but I am not exaggerating. My husband and I tried the “Barese,” which is a traditional style panzerotto stuffed with mortadella, mozzarella, capers, and anchovy. It was buonissimo, a word I picked up from watching Lydia Bastianich and which I usually reserve for instances when I am blown away. The second one we shared was a “gourmet” version which meant the dough was first fried then sliced open like a sandwich and filled with sliced baby octopus, mashed potatoes, and parsley, essentially an open panzerotto. It was equally delicious.

Last night, we had a little pre-Oscar pizza, riceball, and panzerotti party. (Yes, I still had some WW points left). We got a grandma pie and riceballs from the House of Pizza and my husband picked up four panzerotti from Panzerotti Bites, all different from the ones we had the day before, including tuna, veggie, artichoke, and crudo di parma; all were delicious. We have yet to try the sweet panzerotti, which are made with sweet ricotta and either Nutella or Oreo, so that will definitely be a future selection.

Panzerotti Bites is a labor of love for Vittoria Lattanzio and Pasquale De Ruvo, a friendly, hardworking young couple from Apulia which is located on the southeast coast of Italy. They explained to us that they import all their ingredients from Italy, including the olive oil and an easily-digestible durum wheat flour. In addition to panzerotti, Panzerotti Bites serves salads garnished with crunchy taralli instead of croutons and a variety of beverages including espresso, cappuccino, tea, water and soft drinks. They also carry a limited line of imported Italian products, including taralli and olive spread. The shop has seating and windows open to the kitchen so you can see your panzerotti being made. Vittoria also told us that, with advanced notice, they can make smaller-sized panzerotti suitable for parties.

“Panza,” surely the root of panzerotti, is a word my mom used to describe a nice round tummy. She would say, “You’re getting some panza” — one you would undoubtedly get if you kept indulging in panzerotti, panzarotti, or calzoni. But I think it’s certainly worth saving those WW points for such an indulgence.

I wish Vittoria and Pasquale lots of success, and I strongly encourage you to try out Panzerotti Bites for yourself. Order one or two (or three), sit down, and eat them fresh out of the fryer or take them home and eat them warm (or reheat for five minutes at 350 degrees)-- and you, too, will love them!

Panzerotti Bites is located at 235 Smith Street, between Douglass and Butler Streets. (347-720-0269). They are open daily from noon to 10 PM.